...TANGO.
We've been to three classes and have learned, kind of, to do a total of 8 beats. Between us, we seem to have 8 left feet. While the other 'beginners' have been in the class for several months, look relatively graceful and have the most fabulous shoes (! tango shoes are gorgeous!), we've been lumping about at the side of the room, trying to get the hold right, the stance and the attitude. The latter is the most difficult for me, because the secret of the whole thing seems to be that the man has to lead and must indicate clearly exactly what you, the woman, are supposed to do. I'm not used to this. In day to day life, I go and do my own thing and Tom joins in if/when he can. In tango, this is the biggest of all big no-nos! I reckon Tom absolutely loves this deep down and is trying not to admit it. For me, it's come as a big shock...but the music and the shoes, when I get some, are going to be worth it.
Have been listening to recordings of Piazzolla's own band from the 1940s and they are AMAZING (I can't find the CD I have on Amazon, but a quick search there on Piazzolla's name produces plenty to choose from). I don't know many dances that are that atmospheric by their very nature.
Anyway, we are absolute, absolute beginners. We have to ditch our classical tendency to do things by counting, not feeling; I have to ditch my long-buried classical ballet reflexes (20 years on, they still come back on a dance floor); we have to learn a softer, smoother method of crossing a floor, and somehow we have to learn to trust each other in a whole new way, which is very bizarre.
But it's like learning anything new: if you really want to do it, you persevere. You get inspired, not intimidated, by people who can do it already. You apply effort and commitment and time and take some lessons. And having a goal is no bad thing. We are going to Buenos Aires in January; my goal is that by the time we get there, I want to be able to hit the dance floor for an evening and not feel like a total idiot. I think Tom feels the same (hope so, anyway). It's not a crime for other people to have spent half their lives doing this, nor do I resent the fact that they have and I haven't. I just want the chance to learn now to the best of my ability, even if I'm abysmal.
6 comments:
Yay, Jessica!
I've been dancing tango for a little over a year now, and it is a wonderfully rich and rewarding dance, full of room for individuality and creativity (in following as well as leading), and full of ways for all your musical instincts to shine through.
Don't get too hung up on the role of the follower: it is less different from you experience than you might think. The word "follower" is very misleading, because it makes it sound like a passive role. It is not. Although it's the leaders job to navigate the floor and set up the structure, which requires a lot of clarity and decisiveness (so yes, you can't step wherever whenever), it is *not* the leader's job to push you, "drive" you, or take the steps for you. In tango as in life, you have to keep your own balance and move your own body. Followers who utterly give up control are no fun to dance with!
A leader is like a conductor, and a follower like a musician: neither one is passive in the least. Do the score and the conductor indicate exactly what the musician is supposed to do? Of course not! Two orchestras under the same conductor playing the same piece will still sound quite different. The player interprets the score, interprets the conductor's lead, and produces their own sound in a way that's utterly unique and personal, yet still fits perfectly into the collaboration.
OK, I'll stop the rambling. Hope you enjoy the dance as much as I have!
P.S. Piazzolla's "Tango Zero Hour" is the one to get, if you don't already have it. Hard to dance to, but fantastic music!
Thanks, Paul! That's very encouraging & an interesting analogy. So far it's all I can do to get my feet out of Tom's way in time... We'll keep working!
Enjoyed your poems, by the way.
that's cool! i'm learning a piece by piazzolla as well. well, but piazzolla's music isn't exactly a pure form of dance music. it's more of an instrumental music rather than a dance music. but anyways, all the best in learning the wonderful and sensual tango! i'd sure love to pick it up someday and pay a visit to the heartland of the tango - buenos aires.
You all are making me want to try Tango! The many hours I studied ballet as a child/teen were some of the best, brightest and most precious personal memories, memories that still live on in my body. I love yoga for that reason. It's a very sweet zen thing.
Paul was right to help us overcome our fear of following ... the one time I tried ballroom dancing with an expert I felt really shy and awkward, having danced independently but never interactively. Maybe now I'd have the courage to try again.
And he reminded me of a quote I once heard, something like, "Remember that all the dancing Fred Astaire did, Ginger Rogers did backwards, and wearing heels!"
"But it's like learning anything new: if you really want to do it, you persevere. You get inspired, not intimidated, by people who can do it already. You apply effort and commitment and time and take some lessons. And having a goal is no bad thing."
Such good advice! You make me want to take tango lessons.
I recommend them! It's fun. Honestly, it's fun...
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